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Franco chart-toppers June 2004
Francis Cabrel and Isabelle Boulay Make a Comeback
Paris
22/06/2004 -
This month Francis Cabrel confirms his status as French music fans' favourite singer-songwriter (alongside Jean-Jacques Goldman) and proves he is still a man intent on hitting the top of the charts. Five years after his last album, Hors saison, Cabrel's eagerly awaited new offering, Les Beaux dégâts, has been snapped up by French music fans both at home and abroad. Despite having been released in the midst of a general record industry downturn, Les Beaux dégâts recently shot to the coveted no.1 spot in France and Wallonia and reached no.3 in Switzerland, no.9 in Canada and no.75 in Flanders.
Another Francophone artist who has been beating off stiff competition of late is Quebecoise diva Isabelle Boulay. Ms. Boulay, who has confirmed her place on the mainstream music stream as a major 'chanteuse' with a major voice, recently released a new album entitled Tout un jour (V2). This album has made a significant impact on Francophone hit parades around the world. Indeed, straight after its release Tout un jour reached no.3 in Wallonia, no.11 in Switzerland and no.2 in the singer’s native Canada.
Meanwhile, Jenifer – the sweet-voiced brunette who won the first edition of France's TV reality show Star Academy – has raised the stakes with her second album. Jenifer, who recently took a break from her burgeoning pop career to have a baby, is currently back in the music news with Le Passage (released on the Mercury label). This second album finds Jenifer attempting to shake off her former Lolita image and experiment with a new musical maturity in her work. And this approach appears to have found favour with Jenifer fans. Le Passage recently rocketed straight into the charts in Wallonia and Switzerland (respectively, at no.6 and no.16).
Still flying the flag for French 'chanson' after all these years, veteran French music star Michel Sardou has held on to his Top 10 status in Wallonia and Switzerland for the second month running. Sardou’s latest album, Du plaisir (AZ), maintained its position at no.1 in Wallonia and no.9 in Switzerland. Meanwhile, punky alternative Arno, the king of the Belgian indie scene, continued his progress up the Francophone charts. His latest album, French Baazar (Delabel) recently reached no.7 in Wallonia and no.60 in Switzerland.
Meanwhile, it appears to be increasingly difficult to achieve commercial success with a good honest rap album, the scene having been swamped by syrupy r'n'b releases of late. And yet Booba, one of the hottest new arrivals on the French rap scene, has triumphed nevertheless, gaining instant chart success with his album Panthéon (released on Barclay). Booba’s album recently climbed to no.35 in Wallonia and no.25 in Switzerland. As for Kool Shen, one of the pioneers of the French hip-hop movement, he is currently enjoying a successful solo career after more than two decades of collective rap activism. Kool Shen's debut solo album, Dernier round (released in April this year), is still hanging on in there in the Belgian charts (ranking at no.43 in Wallonia) and no.30 in Switzerland.
In the movie world there has been a huge buzz around the French animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville. So much so, in fact, that the film's soundtrack gained an instant foothold on the international charts. It looks as if current French box-office hit Les Choristes could soon follow in the triplets' footsteps. The soundtrack, which has already sold over 300,000 copies in France (earning a platinum disc in the process), is already doing well on the export front, charting at no.14 in Wallonia and no.4 in Switzerland. And, if the film fulfils current expectations and becomes a major box-office hit further abroad, the Choristes soundtrack is sure to follow suit in the charts.
Right now the only French musical style making an impact outside the Francophone charts is electronica. However, in the absence of any major new album releases from the big stars, the pickings are somewhat slim at present. Air's cult debut album, Moon Safari (released on Source in January 1998) is currently enjoying an unexpected lease of new life in Greece, where it currently ranks at no.26 in the charts and Russia, where it stands at no.57 in the charts compiled by the Bolero record stores. Meanwhile, Air’s latest album, Talkie Walkie, continues its chart success in the UK where it recently achieved gold disc status after selling over 100,000 copies.
As for French club king David Guetta, he's still surfing on the wave of success generated by his last album Just A Little More Love and its phenomenal hit single Love Don't Let Me Go. The French mixmaster is now looking to follow this success with a brand new album entitled Guetta Blaster (released on Virgin). The album has just charted in Switzerland at no.58, but it is too early to say whether Guetta Blaster has true chart blasting potential abroad.
But perhaps the most interesting phenomenon on the export front this month is the persistent success of French singer-songwriters in non-Francophone countries. Last year, Carla Bruni, the supermodel turned 'chanteuse', proved songs recorded in French had the potential to cross linguistic barriers. Carla's debut album Quelqu'un m'a dit (Naïve) scored a huge success in Europe (where, incidentally, it still ranks in the album charts in France, Germany and Belgium). Now, after taking Canada by storm, Ms Bruni's husky crooning has proved a minor hit in Japan (Quelqu'un m'a dit currently stands at no.121 in the charts compiled by the HMV stores). Japanese music fans are also renowned for their penchant for French 60s sounds and they have recently turned out in force to snap up copies of Michel Polnareff's greatest hits album. Polnareff's Best (released on Sony) currently stands at no.69 in Japan's HMV chart. Russia has also proved a fertile territory for Francophone music. This month the Top 100 compiled by the Bolero record stores includes Canadian singer Garou (who ranks at no.50 wi
Gilles Rio
Translation : Julie Street
20/04/2004 -
19/05/2004 -
